FINAL EXAM Question 1

(1) In plate tectonics, a divergent boundary is a linear feature that exists between two tectonic plates that are moving away from each other. These areas can form in the middle of continents but eventually form ocean basins. Divergent boundaries within continents initially produce rifts that produce rift valleys. If the rifting process stops, a failed rift results. Therefore, most active divergent plate boundaries exist between oceanic plates and are often called oceanic rifts. The average rate of movement is comparable to how fast human fingernails grow, which is about 2 cm a year. A transform fault is a fault that runs along the boundary of a tectonic plate. The relative motion of such plates is horizontal in either sinistral or dextral direction. Typically, some vertical motion may also exist, but the principal vectors in a transform fault are oriented horizontally. Not all faults are transform faults, and not all plate boundaries are transform faults.Most transform faults are found on the ocean floor, where they often offset active spreading ridges to form a zigzag plate. With a transform fault the movement of the plates is a left to right lateral movement. A convergent boundary is an actively deforming region where two or more tectonic plates or fragments of lithosphere move toward one another and collide.When two plates move toward one another, they form either a subduction zone or a continental collision. This depends on the nature of the plates involved. In a subduction zone, the subducting plate, which is normally a plate with oceanic crust, moves beneath the other plate, which can be made of either oceanic or continental crust. During collisions between two continental plates, large mountain ranges, such as the Himalayans.

(2) Some people say that the earthquake that caused the tsunami in Indonesia could have been prevented. Tsunamis cannot be prevented or precisely predicted, but there are some warning signs of an impending tsunami, and there are many systems being developed and in use to reduce the damage from tsunamis. In instances where the leading edge of the tsunami wave is its trough, the sea will recede from the coast half of the wave's period before the wave's arrival. If the slope is shallow, this recession can exceed many hundreds of metres. People unaware of the danger may remain at the shore due to curiosity. A pro argument might be that people have the right to life. (3) This means that if scientist can predict a tsunami and don't then they are violating peoples right to life. Some people say that the government new about the tsunami but didn't tell the people. (3) If this was true then the government would have been violating the peoples core democratic value truth. However, some people say that you can't predict earthquakes that produce tsunamis. They say that earthquakes and tsunami 's are random and can't possibly predicted. (3) The core democratic value that backs this up is common good. A second reason that people say that the tsunami couldn't be predicted is the fact that it happened way out in the middle of the ocean. (3) Truth would be an example of a core democratic value that would back up this statement. (3) If the government lies about not being able to predict this then they would be violating the right to truth.

BIBLIOGRAPHY (1) www.wikipedia.org
(2) www.experiencefestival.com
(3) www.classroomhelp.com